"For me, and hopefully for the onlooker, each painting must be an extension of experience."   "Landscape painting is one of the oldest forms of expression, it's our everyday link with the spiritual and the theatre."   Alan Turner - Born in 1939 in the mining community of Easington Colliery, Co Durham. Alan Turner began his ambition to be an Artist at the early age of seven. After an illness that nearly claimed his life, he declared that all he wanted to do was to paint. There was no background to this claim, no other artists in the house or family, indeed not even any paintings in this working class household. Luckily while attending school he came under the guidence of a gifted Art teacher who gave him great support, encouragment and, most of all, a belief in himself as an Artist.   After marriage to Catherine in 1960, they then spent the following 10 years in Hartlepool in the North of England. In this period Alan co- created with poet and jazz musican Alex Hand the arts magazine "ICONOLATRE". Alan was also a founder member of the Northern based painters "FRONT GROUP".   Alan and Catherine with their daughter Denise came to Jedburgh in 1970 and fell immediately in love with the area, with the rich variety of the Border landscape being very suited to Alan's expressive painting style.   Stylistically, Alan Turner's work is hard to pin down, moving between realism to abstract impressionism, with experimentation being a vital part of his creative output. Moving fluently between genres - painting, photography,film making, writing - the artist has a life full of ideas and the means of expressing them.   Alan has exhibited widely throughout his life including two one-man shows in London and regularly at the Edinburgh Festival, and for a number of years at the Candacraig Gardens Gallery, Strathdon, Aberdeenshire,which was instrumental in fostering his love of flowers, in particular the blue Himalayan poppies Meconopsis.   Crucial to Alan's inspiration is the involvment of his wife Catherine - main supporter, muse and partner in all his ventures. Her constant encouragement towards Alans creative output is invaluable and immeasurable. From 1973 until January 2003, Alan and Catherine ran the successful Canongate Gallery in Jedburgh, which was a major showcase for Alans work. Working now in his new studio in the garden of their cottage south of Jedburgh, Alan's work continues to evolve and mature, surrounded by his beloved Border landscape.